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Joining the international conversation about cities in Quito this fall.

On October 17-20, 2016, the world’s leading urban thinkers, advocates, policymakers and officials will be converging in Quito, Ecuador, for the United Nations Conference on Housing and Sustainable Urban Development (Habitat III).

It will be the first time since 1996 that the international community will come together with the explicit goal of determining a global strategy to increase resilience and equality in cities around the world.

This video will be included in the dialogue about the future of cities.

The World Stage by Next City will be the premier hub for conversation about the future of cities during Habitat III. A publicly accessible exhibition space and gallery designed by the award-winning social design collective Proyecto NN, the World Stage is where international experts and urban leaders will gather to engage in dialogue about the UN’s New Urban Agenda and learn about the strides toward increased resilience and equality being made in cities around the world.

Our video will be used on Next City’s World Stage, and it’s our opportunity to address leaders from around the globe with our ideas about the future of cities.
Note: Although I did not get selected to be a speaker, our vision for 2030 will be part of the dialogue towards a “New Urban Agenda.” Thanks to Next City for having me among the 4 finalists, together with Anwikshika Das of the Humara Bachpan Campaign (Bhubaneswar, India), Tatu Gatere of the Kounkuey Design Initiative (Nairobi, Kenya), and Trace Lane Chaplin of the University of Washington (Seattle, Washington).

“I often feel like saying, when I hear the question ‘People aren’t ready,’ that it’s like telling a person who is trying to swim, ‘Don’t jump in that water until you learn how to swim.’ When actually you will never learn how to swim until you get in the water.” – Martin Luther King, Jr.